by Jude Watson
Siri had been acutely intelligent and scrupulously mindful of Jedi rules.
Her loyalty to Adi Gallia was unquestioned until they had fallen into
a severe disagreement. Adi Gallia was known for her intuition, but not
necessarily her warmth. She had taken the most severe path a Master could -
she had cut loose her Padawan without recommending her for full Jedi
status. Furious, Siri had left the Temple abruptly. Obi-Wan had tried to
find her, but she had cut off any contact with the Temple. She had wandered
the galaxy. Without her Jedi family, without any ties, she had fallen into
bad company. And now she was using her skills to work with Krayn. It was an
astonishing transformation, but Qui-Gon had taught Obi-Wan that he should
not be surprised by the dark forces that battled within every being. Siri
had battled her dark side and lost.
Obi-Wan and Anakin felt the engines thrum underneath their feet. The
ship slowly rose from its dockingport, then shot out into a space lane.
Soon they would be far above Coruscant, engaging the hyperdrive.
"Do you think Krayn will attack the ship?" Anakin asked, looking out
at the sky through the small view-port.
"The Colicoids don't seem to think so," Obi-Wan said. "Who knows?
Krayn has a complicated, galaxy-wide operation. He might not want the
trouble of tangling with Jedi."
There was something like disappointment on Anakin's face. He wants to
meet up with Krayn, Obi-Wan realized. It was probably the normal reaction
of a young man longing for adventure. Or it could be something darker.
"You seemed to react to Krayn's name during the briefing," Obi-Wan
said. "Have you heard of him?" Anakin turned his gaze back to Obi-Wan.
There was the trace of a shadow in his eyes, something that only Obi-Wan
would notice, he felt sure. "I know his kind."
He was holding something back. He had not really answered Obi-Wan's
question. Anakin never lied to him. Obi-Wan realized with a deep sense of
unease that he was lying now.
CHAPTER 6
"Don't touch that!" A Colicoid officer scurried forward, legs
clicking. Anakin stepped back from the equipment console in the tech
readout room. They were coming out of hyperspace too soon.
"I wasn't touching it," Anakin said. "I was just looking at it. I've
never seen a tech console like this before."
"Well, go away," the officer said, blocking the tech console. "This is
not a place for little boys."
Anakin drew his power around him. He knew it was there, a combination
of his own will and the Force, easily tapped, always reachable. He fixed
his gaze on the officer. "I am not a little boy. I am a Jedi."
The Colicoid was clearly unnerved as the young human boy before him
gave him a gaze of such concentrated intensity. It took all of his will to
stand his ground.
"Well, go away anyway," he muttered, turning away from that unsettling
look. "This is no place for you."
Anakin decided instantly that the tech console was not interesting
enough to risk a confrontation. He walked away with a dignity that masked
his irritation. The Colicoids were certainly touchy about their ship. In
his experience, most beings were happy to indulge in tech-talk and were
proud of their ships. The Colicoids didn't seem to bond with their
transports, just looked at them as a way to get them from one place to
another. Normally he would fill his time poking into the ship's nooks and
crannies, but the Colicoid crew was constantly breathing down his neck.
He never knew a mission could be so boring. If only Krayn would
attack!
Anakin stopped, appalled at the thought that had risen so buoyantly
into his mind. Jedi did not wish for confrontation, but met it squarely
when it came. They looked for peaceful outcomes. He should not long for a
pirate invasion to spice up a dull trip. It was as wrong as wrong could be.
But to be fair, he didn't want Krayn to attack because he was bored.
The thought of the pirate was like a fever in his blood. He wanted - needed
- to see Krayn face-to-face. He wanted to know if the vision he'd had in
the cave was true.
He still felt guilty about lying to Obi-Wan. He could not tell Obi-Wan
how memory had burst inside him, a burning memory full of details that were
as fresh and painful as they'd been six years before.
Well, he hadn't exactly lied - he simply hadn't given a full answer.
Unfortunately, to the Jedi, that was the same as lying to a Master.
Sometimes the strict Jedi scruples could be extremely annoying.
He could not speak of Krayn. Not yet. If he spoke the memory aloud, it
would choke him. He was afraid of the emptiness he felt whenever he
remembered his mother. There were so many sleepless nights when he berated
himself for the comfort of his sleep-couch at the Temple, for his plentiful
meals, his excellent education, but mostly, for his happiness there. How
could he continue to take even one more contented breath when his mother
languished as a slave on a desolate planet?
In the beginning, when he'd first arrived at the Temple, he could call
up her voice and smile so easily. He could repeat her soft words to him:
The greatest gift you can give me, Annie, is to take your freedom.
But her voice was growing fainter, and her smile growing dim.
Sometimes he had to struggle to recall the living reality of her face, the
texture of her skin. He had not seen her in four years. He had been so
young when he left. His greatest fear was that one day she would leave him
completely. That he would lose her like a dream. Then he would be hollow
inside.
Obi-Wan Kenobi had been raised in the Temple since he was a baby. He
could not truly know how a childhood could be one of terror and shame mixed
with comfort and love. He only knew this through his intellect, not his
experience. It is one thing to see the effects of a terrible childhood. It
is another to live them every day. So when his beloved Master told him he
must accept his anger and let it move through him, a small, mean voice in
Anakin whispered that his Master did not know what he was talking about. He
did not truly know anger.
How could he let such rage move through him? Obi-Wan could never
understand how it beat inside him, threatening never to leave. It had the
power to consume him. It frightened him, and Anakin did not want to accept
fear, either. Did this mean he could never be a Jedi Knight?
When he thought of his fears, his thoughts circled in just this way,
bringing a spark of panic deep in his belly. It was better to pretend the
anger wasn't there. Wasn't being a Jedi all about control? He had to find
his own way to control his feelings. That would be the best way.
Suddenly, Anakin felt a tremor in the ship. It caused him to stumble
slightly. The tremor was followed by a blast that sent him flying into the
corridor wall. Alarm signals began to sound.
Anakin took off through the maze of twisting corridors toward his
quarters to find Obi-Wan. The ship was hit again by another blast, and
began to practice defensive maneuvers. Anakin knew the sh
ip was too large
to outmaneuver most crafts.
He was halfway there when he saw Obi-Wan running toward him.
"We're under attack. It's Krayn," Obi-Wan said tersely. "Let's head
for the bridge."
CHAPTER 7
The two raced into the gloom of the bridge. The crew sat tensely at
the controls while a few officers raced from one station to another.
Outside the view-port, they could see vapor trails of proton torpedoes and
showers of explosives. The ship shook with every nearby blast. It was an
ambush - Krayn must have known where they would appear.
Captain Anf Dec stood, his hands gripping the arms of his control
chair. "Where is the ship?" he screamed. "Where is the ship?"
"It dived below us, Captain," one of the crew members shouted.
"Full speed ahead! Full speed! No, left engines full!" Captain Anf Dec
shouted, his voice on the edge of hysteria. "Where is the ship now?"
The ship lurched to one side as the crew struggled to reconcile the
captain's contradictory orders. This lurch was followed by another blast
that sent everyone on the bridge staggering.
"Krayn is off to our port, sir," one of the crew members said. "We've
taken a blow to the fuel driver."
"What is he doing!" Captain Anf Dec shouted. "Doesn't he know who we
are?"
"Yes, Captain. We informed the ship that we were a Colicoid ship with
a Jedi observation team aboard. As per your instructions," the crew member
added pointedly.
"Port-side deflector shield is down," another crew member shouted.
"What?" the captain asked, scuttling over to stare at the readout.
"How could that be?"
"We didn't get it fully operational in time - "
"Idiots!" Captain Anf Dec nearly fell over as another blast shook the
ship. "It's an ambush - they must have reset the coordinates of our nav
computer."
Anakin and Obi-Wan stared out the view port as the pirate ship shot
into view. It was smaller than the Colicoid transport, but highly
maneuverable. By the look of the orbital gun platforms and laser cannons,
they were also vastly outgunned.
Because of his acute connection to the Force, Anakin knew his ability
to read situations was far-ranging. He didn't need the Force now to tell
him that with a failing ship and a panicked captain, they were in trouble.
If they couldn't outmaneuver Krayn or outrun him, what options were left?
He looked at his Master. When it came to strategic thinking, he depended on
Obi-Wan. His Master could not only process all aspects of difficult
situations, he could come up with several strategies and hone in on the
best one - all within seconds.
"Our only hope is to get a small transport off this ship and
infiltrate Krayn's ship," Obi-Wan said. "If we can get aboard, we could
disable the weapons system."
"What's that?" The Colicoid captain turned his long head. "What did
you say?"
"Will you authorize release of one of your transports to us?" Obi-Wan
asked.
"What for?"
"To infiltrate Krayn's ship," Obi-Wan repeated. "It's the only way
we'll escape destruction or capture."
"Do what you want. I don't care." Captain Anf Dec clutched the arms of
his chair as the ship lurched from another blow. "Just do something!"
"We'll need you to create a diversion."
"Fine!"
Without another word, Obi-Wan turned and ran off the bridge. Anakin
followed, his heart racing. He admired how his Master had sized up the
situation and chosen a course of action within seconds. It was a daring
move, but it could be their only hope.
They reached the cargo bay doors, where a number of small transports
sat. They were used to ferry passengers or cargo to and from the surface
while the large ship orbited a planet.
Obi-Wan stopped and turned to Anakin. "Choose."
Gratified by his Master's trust, Anakin turned to the ships. He
surveyed them with a pilot's eye, but also drew in the Force to help with
the decision. He needed to go on instinct now. He trusted that it would
tell him the right ship to choose.
"The G-class shuttle," he said to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan hesitated. "The
lighter could be faster." Anakin grinned. "Not the way I fly."
Obi-Wan nodded. They ran toward the three-winged shuttle. Anakin
activated the hatch and swung himself up into the cockpit. Obi-Wan
followed.
Quickly, Anakin familiarized himself with the controls. There wasn't a
ship made that he couldn't fly. He contacted the crew who operated the bay
doors and quickly instructed them that they had Captain Anf Dec's
permission to leave. After a moment, the doors opened slightly, and Anakin
activated the two lower wings, which lifted into flight mode. They blasted
off into space.
"There," Obi-Wan said after only a few seconds. "If you can keep near
his exhaust, I think our ship is small enough to escape detection. Not to
mention that Krayn has other things on his mind." The Colicoid had kept his
promise to create a diversion, flying erratically and letting off enough
fire to keep Krayn occupied.
"And what should I do then?" Anakin asked.
"I'm open to suggestions," Obi-Wan answered.
But Anakin's mind was already working as soon as Obi-Wan said
"exhaust." If they could hug the rear of the pirate ship, they might be
able to slip into the exhaust system. The steam would overheat the craft,
but if Anakin could push the ship fast enough, they might be able to make
it into the interior.
Quickly, he described his plan to Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan nodded. "It's possible. But the exhaust tunnels narrow as they
travel inside the ship. We could be trapped."
"That's why this shuttle will come in handy," Anakin said. "I can
retract the wings by degrees and use the third wing to fly."
Obi-Wan frowned. "That will give you less control."
Anakin nodded. "I know."
"And the heat will be intense in that shaft. The ship could overheat."
"Not if I speed." Anakin knew what Obi-Wan was thinking. He would have
to pilot the ship fast enough to escape overheating, yet not so fast that
he'd lose his maneuverability. "I think I can manage it."
"You think?"
"I know."
"Fine. Let's do it."
Krayn's ship had not spotted them, and Anakin was able to precisely
mirror the pirate ship's quick attack maneuvers. By hugging Krayn's stern,
he was able to escape detection. He anticipated which way the ship would
move as it attacked again and again at the vulnerable parts of the Colicoid
ship. He followed the ship like a shadow, all the time easing closer to the
great exhaust valve at the stern.
The exhaust valve contained a huge whirring propeller. Anakin hung in
the air, his fingers on the controls, timing the propeller's turn. Obi-Wan
remained silent, allowing Anakin to gather his concentration. The tiniest
miscalculation could send them into the twirling blades.
Anakin knew the seconds were ticking away, and he appreciated Obi-
Wan's silence. He waited until the Force gathered and united with
his
instincts and perceptions. He fixed his gaze on the spinning blades. They
seemed to slow with the level of his concentration. As soon as he felt sure
that he had fully absorbed the rhythm, he pushed the engines and felt the
craft zoom toward the exhaust port. He flipped the shuttle sideways to slip
through the blades.
The small craft shuddered from the wind created by the powerful
blades, but it zoomed through an opening with only centimeters to spare.
Anakin kept his hands tight on the controls. Suddenly there was a blast of
energy from the powerful exhaust. He was being pushed back into the blades
again!
"Hold on!" he shouted.
He pushed the throttle forward, giving it all he had. A simple touch
of the blade would send the ship spiraling out of control.
The engines kicked in. Anakin had to struggle to keep the ship steady.
They were speeding now - too fast. Within seconds, he saw that Obi-Wan
had been correct. The shaft was narrowing. Soon there were only a few
meters between the wings and the sides of the tunnel. Anakin quickly
activated the wing controls so that the two side wings folded up toward the
body of the ship. He felt the controls jump in his hands, but he held the
ship firmly, slowing it down.
"I see light ahead," Obi-Wan murmured. Although Anakin knew there